TMNT: Love in the Shadows Chapter 2
by Lady Matsudai
Summary: And so the story continues with the unique finding of the Turtles' new friend, Spirit.


Two days had passed since Spirit was carried into the turtles' lair and she still laid unconscious on the mat bed in the guest room. The turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey were all in the kitchen, eating their morning meals while the guys were seated eating and April was finishing piling things onto her plate. Everyone sat silently as they ate their meals. Mikey played in his food with his head on his head, Raph and Leo had both refused to touch their food, and Donny was silently and slowly eating his waffles. Master Splinter looked at his sons with pity. He had never seen something affect his sons so much. Casey, seeing the discomfort among his friends, decided to break the ice.  

"Come on guys," began Casey. "Cheer up. After what you told us happened in the fight, Spirit is bound to be exhausted from all that. I bet you that she'll wake up some time today."  

"I shall be back momentarily, my friends," said Splinter as he rose from his seat and made his way.  

"Where are you going, Master Splinter?" asked Donny.  

"To check on our guest," stated Splinter, continuing his way towards the guest room.  

The rat made his way towards the door and slid it open. Just like the previous two nights, Spirit laid on the mat with a blanket covering her for warmth. Splinter slid the door closed and walked towards the bed, kneeling down to Spirit's left side. Removing the dry cloth from her head, Splinter took a new towel, soaked it in the basin of water, wrung it, and placed it where the previous cloth was. Splinter then stroked his hand across Spirit's cheek, surprised at its softness. Spirit slightly squirmed from Splinter's touch and Splinter softly gasped as Spirit's eyes fluttered open.  

Spirit awoke to gaze around a room that was unfamiliar to her. She moved her hands a little to find that she was on a soft and firm bed of some kind. Her eyes began to focus and she turned her head to see a large rat smiling at her as he looked down. Much to Spirit's surprise, she found nothing wrong with looking at the large rat. She tried to sit up, but great pain shot through her body and she lost her balance, but the rat caught her just in time.  

"Thank you," said Spirit as the rat helped her sit up.  

"Your welcome. How do you feel, my child?" asked the rat kindly.  

"My head is pounding and my body-" started Spirit, but as she was rubbing her arm, she realized that someone had bandaged it, along with other parts of her body. "Who dressed my wounds? Where am I? Where is Raidon?"  

"Easy, my child. All will be explained in due time. Come, Miss O'Neil has prepared breakfast for us," stated the rat as he held his hand out.  

Spirit slowly took the rat's hand and painfully stood up, following the rat out of the room. The two slowly descended down the stairs towards the open area of the den. Spirit was surprised by its large size and all the space that was available.  

Leo shifted his gaze from his untouched plate up and soon saw his sensei walking towards the table with Spirit holding his hand. She was looking around the den that she did not notice the turtles just yet. Leo stood up slowly, making sure not to startle the girl.  

"Master Splinter," called Leo as the others looked on.  

"Hello, my sons. Our guest has finally awoken," stated Splinter, still holding Spirit's hand.  

As she heard her name, Spirit looked in the kitchen to find four turtles with different colored masks sitting at the table. She recognized them immediately. She slowly raised her bandaged arm and pointed towards the turtles.  

"You four? You are the four turtles that helped me and Raidon fight those ninja," claimed Spirit.  

"You got it!" shouted the orange masked turtle, punching his fist in the air with excitement.  

Two other humans, one male and one female, then came to Spirit's attention. Her body froze with fear and her grip on the rat's hand tightened. The rat looked at Spirit with confusion. Spirit then quickly hid behind the rat and gazed over his shoulder. The turtles looked on confused along with the two humans.

"What's wrong with her?" asked the male human.  

"Casey, don't be so rude!" remarked the female human.  

"What is it, my child?" asked the rat, looking behind over his shoulder.  

Spirit was speechless, she couldn't bring herself around to explain her weird behavior. The orange masked turtle looked on sadly. Then, after pondering a small thought, he smiled and casually walked up to the rat and Spirit. He came around the rat's side and bent over a little bit to make himself smaller and mean less harm.  

"Hey, it's okay," exclaimed the turtle. "There's nothing to be afraid of. We're the good guys. And those two humans, Casey and April, they're good too. We're not gonna hurt you. Won't you eat breakfast with us?"  

Spirit was awe struck. The fact that the turtle was so caring, kind, and gentle took Spirit off guard. She turned to the two humans, who smiled at her warmly and waved slightly. Spirit sighed at the feeling that the humans did not seem to be a threat but rather...friendly. Spirit soon noticed that the orange masked turtle had extended his hand out. She looked at the turtle's face which upon it was a goofy smile. Spirit smiled and hesitantly took the turtle's three fingered hand. The turtle slowly led the girl to the table with the rat following close behind them. The red masked turtle smirked at the sight.  

"Ha! Well I'll be! Mikey got the girl to come out of her shell," exclaimed the red masked turtle.  

The orange masked turtle led Spirit to an empty seat that was next to a purple masked turtle. He smiled as he rose from his seat and pulled out Spirit's seat. Spirit came to her seat and sat down as the purple turtle pushed her chair in. Just moments later, the woman came up to Spirit with a plate filled with food and gently placed the plate in front of Spirit. Spirit gazed up at the woman, who smiled as some of her red hair came down.  

"Go ahead. Eat up, you're probably really hungry after being out of it for two days," said the woman.  

"I was out for that long?" asked Spirit.  

"Yeah, we were beginning to think that you weren't going to come out of it," remarked the red masked turtle.  

"Raphael, don't be so rude to our guest," the rat sternly demanded.  

"I am truly thankful for you all saving me that night. I am in debt to you," said Spirit, bowing slightly.  

"Oh, there's no need for it. It was our pleasure to save someone as beautiful as you," stated the blue masked turtle with a slight blush.

Spirit blushed slightly and gave a nervous smile as she picked up her fork and skewed a small sausage. Slowly, Spirit placed the food in her mouth and smiled gently as she chewed.

"Good?" asked the woman with a smile.

Spirit happily nodded I response and continued to feast. Donny saw this as a perfect opportunity to get answers.

"So, Spirit? Do you mind telling us why those Foot Ninja were after you?" asked Donny carefully.

Spirit suddenly stopped eating, placing her fork down, and hugged her knees as she sat still in the seat. Everyone turned their attention to Spirit sadly and expectantly.

"I…I don't really want to talk about it," mumbled Spirit.

"Please, Spirit. We want to help you," assured the blue masked turtle.

Spirit rubbed the back of her neck in discomfort, but felt something around her neck you hadn't noticed before. She looked down and held the dragon pendant in her hands that her brother always wore. Tears brimmed her eyes as she gently caressed it.

"Raidon…" whispered Spirit.

"Despite the unsolved puzzles that have arisen, our guest may still be in shock of what has happened," concluded Master Splinter as he placed his hands on Spirit's shoulders gently. "Be willing to tell us whenever you are ready your story, Spirit-san."

Spirit rubbed her eyes and sniffled as she nodded. Her attention turned to the turtles, who smiled at her in pity. A thought then came to Spirit.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know any of your names," admitted Spirit shyly.

"You are quite right, my child. I am Master Splinter and these are my sons," said Master Splinter as he gestured towards the four turtles.

"Hello, I'm Leonardo. But you can call me Leo," greeted the blue-masked turtle.

"Hey, I'm Donatello. I go byDon or Donny," smiled the purple-masked turtle.

"What's up? I'm Michelangelo. Everyone calls me Mikey," exclaimed the orange-masked turtle with a goofy grin.

"Raphael. Otherwise, I go by Raph," introduced the red-masked turtle. 

"And these two are our closest friends," continued Master Splinter as he directed Spirit's attention to the man and woman.

"Hi ya! Name's Casey Jones. Nice to meet ya, lil' miss," greeted the black-haired man warmly.

"And I'm April O' Neil. It's a pleasure to meet you Spirit," smiled the red-haired woman.

"Now that we have all been introduced, it is time for your morning exercises, my sons," mentioned Splinter.

The turtles slowly rose from the table and made their way to the center of the large den. April and Casey began to clear the table when April came to Spirit's side.

"Why don't you watch the guys train, Spirit?" suggested April.

"I don't want to intrude," replied Spirit, twirling her fingers. "Besides, I should help you and Casey clean up."

"Nonsense! I think the guys would like to have an audience," added Casey. "Go have fun."

Rising from her chair, Spirit walked towards the center of the den as Splinter lectured the turtles on training and focus. Spotting an empty crate close to the turtles, Spirit quietly sat and watched.

"Alright, my sons. For training today, we shall do paired sparring. Leonardo and Michelangelo shall fight, leaving Raphael and Donatello to fight each other," stated Splinter. "The winners of each sparring match with then face each other. Leonardo and Michelangelo, please take your positions."

Leo and Mikey faced each other in the fighting ring and took their fighting stances after their bows to their sensei and to each other. Spirit fidgeted in her seat as Leo and Mikey were given the okay to fight by Master Splinter.

"Please, be careful, you guys," gently called Spirit.

"Don't worry, Spirit. I'll be fine. It's Leo that you should worry about," chuckled Mikey.

"In your dreams, Mikey," snickered Leo as he swung his two katanas rapidly around him.

Leo charged at Mikey with his katanas high in the air. With his nunchucks spinning, Mikey blocked and redirected Leo's swords. Close calls came and went between the two, but Leo finally saw his chance. As Mikey jumped into the air and dove down for Leo for the final blow, Leo dropped his swords and grabbed Mikey's nunchucks as he placed his feet on Mikey's underside and pushed him into the air and slamming him right into a pillar. The contact of bone and stone made Spirit cringe and wince. Moaning in pain, Mikey slid down the pillar and landed in a lump at the base of the pillar.

"Mikey!" cried Spirit as she ran from the crate.

Leo and the others instantly rushed behind Spirit to Mikey's aid. Careful of any injuries, Spirit moved Mikey's head gently onto her lap. Mikey's eyes were closed and minor cuts and scrapes covered his face. Spirit ran her hand along Mikey's sweaty head while Leo kneeled opposite of Spirit.

"Mikey…Mikey, talk to me…please," pleaded Spirit in a whisper as she tried to hold back tears.

Mikey remained motionless. Leo, desperate for a sign, placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Mikey…" muttered Leo, his heart sick with fear and grief.

Nothing. Suddenly a smile curled on Mikey's face and he opened one eye.

"Hehehe. For a second there, Leo, I though your were gonna give me mouth-to-mouth," giggled Mikey.

All his friends gasped in surprise and then groaned in annoyance, knowing the whole scene was an act. Leo looked angrily at his brother whose head still laid on Spirit's lap.

"Mikey! Don't do things like that! I though I killed you for a minute!" warned Leo.

"I couldn't resist! I got a hot girl to let my head rest on her lap," smiled Mikey goofily.

"She's not a toy to be used, Mikey!" pointed out Raph sternly.

"Awwww…Does Raph have the hots for Spirit?" questioned Mikey playfully.

Raph's face immediately grew red and he quickly looked away with his arms crossed and growled, trying to hide his blush. Mikey looked back up at Spirit, whose head was hanging low.

"Hey, Spirit! Did you think it was funny?" asked Mikey innocently.

Mikey blinked in confusion as he looked up at Spirit. Tears crawled down Spirit's cheeks as she huffed and puffed, trying hard not to exploded in tears. Mikey quickly sat up with his hands open in front of him as he faced her.

"I'm-I'm-I'm sorry, Spirit! I only meant it as a small joke! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Mikey apologized.

"I'm…not crying because I'm mad at you…Mikey…" sniffed Spirit. Mikey looked on confused as Spirit rubbed her eyes. "I'm just…glad that you're alright…and…you're not hurt."

Just as she finished speaking, Mikey inched closer to Spirit and wrapped his muscular arms around her as if she was a priceless treasure. Instantly, Spirit hugged him back, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Spirit," apologized Mikey with a calming and sincere voice.

"It's alright, Mikey," muffled Spirit.

The other turtles looked on in anger, jealousy, and envy. Each of them have taken a liking to Spirit and wished to get to know her more. Unfortunately, Mikey beat them to the punch with his little 'show' and took advantage of Spirit's caring nature. Master Splinter finally stepped in.

"Now that the show is over, Donatello and Raphael will now spar."

Donatello and Raphael made their way back to the battle ring and moved to their fighting stances. Leo and Mikey sat close to Spirit on the floor as they watched Don and Raph fight. Spirit sadly looked down at the floor as Don and Raph grunted and battled on. Leo noticed this and found his chance to show Spirit some compassion and his soft side.

"Hey, Spirit, don't worry about Don and Raph. Unlike Mikey here, Don and Raph know how to fight," assured Leo kindly.

"Hey!" retorted Mikey rebelliously.

"I'm not worried about them…It's something else," muttered Spirit.

"What are you worried about?" asked Leo softly.

"Raidon," whispered Spirit.

Raph growled loudly as he walked t Spirit, Leo, and Mikey, Leaving Don at the ring completely confused. Raph towered over Spirit as he held his sais tightly in his hands.

"What's wrong with you?!" exclaimed Raph. "You keep talking about him all the time! You even talked about him in your sleep!"

"Raphael, that's enough!" demanded Splinter.

"Really, who is this Raidon guy anyway?! Why is he so important to you?!" continued Raph.

"Raph, that's personal business!" exclaimed Don.

"He's my brother!" cried Spirit as she stood up to meet Raph at full height.

Raph grew silent as the others stared in shock, taken aback by the sudden release of information. They had never guessed that Spirit and Raidon could have been brother and sister. It seemed to the turtles that there was a deeper bond between the two like boyfriend and girlfriend. Spirit's face was wet with tears as she ran off to her room, rushing past Casey and April. She slammed the door and she was gone. April quickly set down the dishes she was washing and jogged to Spirit's current residence. Casey stopped scrubbing the table and walked over to the turtles and their sensei.

"What just happened?" asked Casey.

"Raph just blew up in Spirit's face when she did absolutely nothing to deserve it," Leo sternly emphasized.

"How the shell was I suppose to know he was her brother?!" retorted Raph angerly.

"Despite us learning the identity of Spirit's male friend, that was not the proper way to obtain such personal information. I suggest you think before you act, my son," scolded Splinter. "That's enough training for now, my sons."

Splinter, Casey, Leo, Don, and Mikey then started off to do as they wished, leaving Raph standing alone at the battle ring. Raph's grip tightened on his sais as he placed them in their sheaths. He heard distant knocking accompanied by April's voice echoing from the hall. After a deep sigh, Raph began to make his way to Spirit's room.

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
